MOST RECENT FEATURES

As of June 17, over 100 airport workers are on strike protesting the working conditions of two of Logan Airport’s biggest contractors, G2 Secure Staff and ReadyJet. Protesters began picketing at East Boston Memorial Park as early as early as 5 a.m., holding a press conference at 7:30 a.m., just steps away from the Logan…

The Boston Public Health Commission recently released the findings of its 35th annual homeless census, which tracks the homeless population in the city of Boston. The census found an unsettlingly large increase in the amount of homeless families: the number grew a full 25 percent, up from 1,234 households last year to 1,543 this year.…

In an age when multimillionaire matinee idols like Johnny Depp and Christian Bale are trumpeted as Hollywood mavericks, the career of the late director Robert Altman may call for stronger words. Today’s profit-minded artist-moguls might just call him crazy. Even in the ‘70s, that golden age of maverick Hollywood, Altman baffled fans and disturbed the…

POPULAR FEATURES

The Boston 2024 Olympic committee hopes to use Long Island for an Olympic shooting event, should Boston win its bid to host the Summer Games. The event would feature a 57-acre venue that could seat 7,000 spectators. The proposed idea and many other Olympic plans were revealed when Boston 2024 made its bid documents publicly…

On December 16, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh went to California to speak to the US Olympic Committee in support Boston’s bid for the 2024 Olympic Games, despite mixed feelings back East. Boston is competing with Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, DC to host the Games, and the topic’s been a source of debate among…

Brittany sat under an alcove in Harvard Square, sign in hand and a cup of loose change in front of her. She sets up there nearly every day, she says, with the same sign but with a different Dunkin’ Donuts cup. Her blue-dyed tips peek out of her yellow, owl-printed bandana. Kal stands next to…

Comedians are famous for knowing how to work a crowd with their side-splitting and sometimes off-color commentary on everyday issues, but they also have a unique angle on social issues. Well, at least Gary Gulman does. The Peabody native and Last Comic Standing finalist has a lot to say about the effects of income inequality…

Hopkinton native Audrey Emerson speaks with a confidence and determination that belies her young age. She also exudes an unbridled enthusiasm that’s both inspiring and reflective of her youth. Emerson attended the Walnut Hill School in Natick and is currently a sophomore at the University of Southern California, majoring in critical film studies. Yet she…

Comedians are famous for knowing how to work a crowd with their side-splitting and sometimes off-color commentary on everyday issues, but they also have a unique angle on social issues. Well, at least Gary Gulman does. The Peabody native and Last Comic Standing finalist has a lot to say about the effects of income inequality…

By Aimee Ortiz It was around 9 p.m. in Boston on November 24 when the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney announced that a grand jury had not indicted Darren Wilson for the fatal shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown. Less than 24 hours later, protesters and Mike Brown supporters decided to, in their words, indict…

I sit at my desk looking around my office and I have to feel gratitude. It’s 2015 and just 21 years ago I was strung out on heroin and didn’t know where I was going to lay my head at night. In the last issue of Spare Change News was an article about me as…

Advocates marched and rallied on Thursday, April 23 to call for the state to replace the beds and programs that were lost after the city closed the Long Island shelter and detox unit last October. They say that the city has not done enough to help displaced homeless people and recovering addicts. “We’re here to…

The Boston Public Health Commission recently released the findings of its 35th annual homeless census, which tracks the homeless population in the city of Boston. The census found an unsettlingly large increase in the amount of homeless families: the number grew a full 25 percent, up from 1,234 households last year to 1,543 this year.…

Walter Stewart was born in Gary, Indiana, a city founded by the United States Steel Corporation in 1906. Steel production ran in the blood of Garyites for over a hundred years and still, today, the city produces 7.5 million tons annually. With their combined careers, Walter’s father and grandfather worked in steelmaking for over 70…

I sit at my desk looking around my office and I have to feel gratitude. It’s 2015 and just 21 years ago I was strung out on heroin and didn’t know where I was going to lay my head at night. In the last issue of Spare Change News was an article about me as…

Travis “The Featherhawk” Snyder was chasing the dragon, a euphemism for heroin and opioid addiction, until he had enough. It was three days before Christmas in 2011 and he was sick and tired of being sick and tired. Detoxing in a jail cell in Pennsylvania, Snyder hit rock bottom. He then did the unthinkable. Snyder…

The police are targeting vulnerable communities, says Monica James. They’re targeting black people. Hispanics. Muslims. Immigrants. Women. Youth. The transgender community, all “people of difference.” It’s not really news to the audience at Roxbury’s Madison Park High School. After all, the panel is called “Baltimore is Everywhere,” and the speakers include victims of police violence…

Travis “The Featherhawk” Snyder was chasing the dragon, a euphemism for heroin and opioid addiction, until he had enough. It was three days before Christmas in 2011 and he was sick and tired of being sick and tired. Detoxing in a jail cell in Pennsylvania, Snyder hit rock bottom. He then did the unthinkable. Snyder…

The police are targeting vulnerable communities, says Monica James. They’re targeting black people. Hispanics. Muslims. Immigrants. Women. Youth. The transgender community, all “people of difference.” It’s not really news to the audience at Roxbury’s Madison Park High School. After all, the panel is called “Baltimore is Everywhere,” and the speakers include victims of police violence…

The late Mayor Tom Menino’s impact on the city of Boston was easy to see after his death on the morning of Oct. 30. Thousands visited his casket in Fanuiel Hall on Saturday, Nov. 2, and thousands more lined the route of his funeral procession the next day. As the oft-repeated statistic claims, more than…

It may not be coincidence that the dominant character in Marisa Smith’s hilarious Saving Kitty is named Kate. Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?, the 1968 Kate Hepburn movie, is not just an antecedent of Saving Kitty, it’s even mentioned in act one. The crucial difference here is that it’s the current decade, not the ‘60s,…

The police are targeting vulnerable communities, says Monica James. They’re targeting black people. Hispanics. Muslims. Immigrants. Women. Youth. The transgender community, all “people of difference.” It’s not really news to the audience at Roxbury’s Madison Park High School. After all, the panel is called “Baltimore is Everywhere,” and the speakers include victims of police violence…

I sit at my desk looking around my office and I have to feel gratitude. It’s 2015 and just 21 years ago I was strung out on heroin and didn’t know where I was going to lay my head at night. In the last issue of Spare Change News was an article about me as…

ARTS

In an age when multimillionaire matinee idols like Johnny Depp and Christian Bale are trumpeted as Hollywood mavericks, the career of the late director Robert Altman may call for stronger words. Today’s profit-minded artist-moguls might just call him crazy. Even in the ‘70s, that golden age of maverick Hollywood, Altman baffled fans and disturbed the…

When Boston won the bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Brian McCook’s now famous drag alter ego Katya planned an old-school Russian boycott. “I’m so torn about it,” says McCook, who was in the top five out of 14 performers featured on the current season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. “While I would love to physically…

From his memorable nerd anthems to his onslaught of food parodies, here are our favorite “Weird” Al singles spanning three decades: 1. Eat It, 1984. Best Line: “Get yourself an egg and beat it.” 2. Like A Surgeon, 1985. Best Line: “It’s a fact … I’m a quack. The disgrace of the AMA.” …

Jimmy Tingle, much beloved comedian, is a like a favorite son in Cambridge. He has enjoyed a large local and national following for several decades. In fact, he grew up and continues to live in Cambridge. He has long been interested in issues of social justice and is known for his humorous political commentary. Remember 60…

PHOTO BY SCOTT MARRS Joe Putignano, a 38-year-old native of Brockton, Raynham and Bridgewater, is a former competitive gymnast who began the sport at the age of nine. He trained at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and later competed in the Junior Olympic National Championships at age 16. He performed in a long-running…